title: Evaluation of serum ischemia modified albumin levels in acute rheumatic fever before and after therapy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate ischemia modified albumin (IMA) levels in children with acute rheumatic fever (ARF) before and after therapy and compare them with those of controls.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty seven patients with ARF and 18 healthy, age and sex matched children were included in the study. The diagnosis of ARF was established according to the modified Jones criteria. Follow-up studies were made when acute phase reactants [erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP)] levels returned normal. IMA levels were measured using the rapid and colorimetric method with the albumin cobalt binding test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  IMA levels were significantly higher in ARF group (p < 0.001) compared with controls at the time on admission. IMA (absorbance units) was measured as 0.41 ± 0.10 in the control group, 0.55 (0.44-1.13) in the study group before treatment and 0.48 ± 0.12 in the study group after treatment. After treatment, statistically important decrements were determined in the levels of ESR (p<0.001), CRP (p<0.001) and IMA (p<0.01). There was no significant difference for IMA levels between after treatment and control group. IMA levels at the time on admission correlated positively with ESR (r = 0.605, p < 0.01) and CRP (r = 0.543, p < 0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present study shows that increased serum IMA levels in patients with ARF at the time of diagnosis is a sign of increased inflammation. Thus, serum IMA levels may be used as a follow-up marker like CRP and ESR for evaluating the efficacy of treatment in ARF.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Meram Faculty of Medicine, Necmettin Erbakan University, Konya, Turkey.
authors.forename: Aysun
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Toker
authors.forename: Zehra
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Karatas
authors.forename: Hakan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Altın
authors.forename: Sevim
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Karaarslan
authors.forename: Humeyra
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Cicekler
authors.forename: Hayrullah
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Alp
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D001799:Blood Sedimentation; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000032:analysis*; D002648:Child; D003124:Colorimetry; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007378:Interleukins / Q000032:analysis; D008297:Male; D017202:Myocardial Ischemia / Q000175:diagnosis*; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000502:physiology; D012213:Rheumatic Fever / Q000097:blood* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D012709:Serum Albumin; D000075462:Serum Albumin, Human
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D007378:Interleukins; D012709:Serum Albumin; C561522:ischemia-modified albumin; D002097:C-Reactive Protein; D000075462:Serum Albumin, Human